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Sunday, June 26, 2016

Since my support of Esoteric Recordings goes back nine years
ago when the blog was starting in 2008 and being a student back in Houston
Community College working on my degree in Jazz Studies, I’ve always would go to
their website and see what obscure gems they would release at the end of the
month. This year, I was fascinated by an artist that blew me away. His name is
Gandalf. It’s an alias name for artist and composer, Hans Strobl.

His third album entitled, To Another Horizon which was originally released in 1983 on the WEA
label in Germany and Austria, is a conceptual story about the awareness of a
global threat between the environment of nuclear weapons and how will humanity
destroy itself or how we can change our behavior and the consciousness before
it’s too late? Listening to this album, it’s a combination of Tom Newman, The
Enid’s first two albums, Vangelis, Tangerine Dream, and Mike Oldfield.

His keyboards tell the story as if you as a listener can
close your eyes and imagine the story from Gandalf’s vision by making it the
movie inside your head. It is a touching and haunting dystopian vision of the
dangers that will happen between life, death, and rebirth. It’s atmospheric,
ambient, new age, and symphonic. The lush of the mellotron’s, synths, organ
passages, and piano work he brings, is a stirring yet emotional with a
futuristic setting.

I love Flight of the
Crystal Ships. Here Gandalf doesn’t just play they keyboards, but he plays
guitar also. He has these ambiance and swirling Yes-like settings that brings
forth the style of Steve Howe. It’s a dazzling yet adventurous composition as
you can imagine flying on the crystal ships across the galaxy towards into the
Milky Way with the electronical settings that give the view of the stars and
looking how beautiful our solar systems are.

Natural Forces Getting
Out of Control begins with a flute introduction done by Robert Julian Horky
with some wind-blowing keyboards and natural world that has now gone haywire as
Gandalf takes some innovative styles between the finger-picking classical
guitars and the synths showing that Hell has now begun with Mother Earth’s body
being in pain by making volcanoes spitting the fires out and floods starting
out as the night follows.

It has the styles of Kraftwerk’s Autobahn-era as the electronic drums and synths set the thunders to
the skies for the earthquakes to begin. Now I’ve mentioned about the organ
passages. It’s shown on the Requiem for a
Planet. By now in the story of the second act, Earth has now been damaged
from the night before as the organ movements set the church-like tone along
with piano passages for a mourning loss of what has happened. Including the
vocal spoken-word at the last minute to give the last rites.

The opening track, March
of No Reason, sees Gandalf channeling the styles of Pink Floyd’s Obscured by Clouds, Klaus Schulze’s Irrlicht, Marillion,and Tangerine Dream with Gandalf channeling his keyboards into
unbelievable results. He along with drummer Eron Groger, and bassist Heinz
Hummer, take you to in this parallel universe of what is happening of the
conflicts between nations, war, and the final battle that is about to destruct
our own planet.

The spiritual yet Indian-raga middle-eastern atmosphere with
experimental vocals, sets up the hope for a new beginning of the three-part
title-track suite starting with The
Divine Message and the Sitar with a droning effect, gives the chance to
rebuild for a new chapter and a new beginning for a Change of Consciousness while near the end of the story, it becomes
clear instead of fighting, they are working as a team as Gandalf goes into the
Yes styles of Tales from Topographic
Oceans-era on the Creation of a New
World.

This is my second and third time of listening to Gandalf’s To Another Horizon. I was on the edge of
my seat just being blown away of how Hans himself takes the New Age,
Atmospheric, and Symphonic structures to another level. It’s not just
Progressive, but the adventure that will take you towards seeing how the
dangers can affect everybody. The 16-page booklet contains the 2-part story,
including liner notes done by Malcolm Dome and an interview with Gandalf (Hans
Strobl) about the making of the album.

As I’ve mentioned before, the Esoteric label which is a part
of the Cherry Red Family since 2007, have never disappointed me when it comes
to reissue gems from the ‘70s and ‘80s. Here, Gandalf’s third album is the
soundtrack and movie inside your mind. If you love Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk,
Klaus Schulze, Marillion (Fish-era), The Enid, Yes, Mike Oldfield, and Vangelis, then I highly
recommend exploring To Another Horizon.

Friday, June 24, 2016

It’s been an 8-year absence since Italian Progressive Rock
band Deus Ex Machina made another album. This year, they’ve released their eighth
album on the Cuneiform label entitled, Devoto.
It’s their first release since 2008’s CD/DVD release of Imparis. Which was a live DVD
performance and studio CD release which Cuneiform released showed new and
looking through DEM’s career. Devoto is
the band’s return to capture more of the energetic, virtual, and eruptive sonic
force.

With the styles of Rock Progressivo Italiano, Mahavishnu
Orchestra, Banco, and Premiata Forneria Marconi, Devoto is a welcoming return of the maestro’s back into the musical
machine again since their formation back in 1985. Now while I’m very new to the
bandwagon of Deus Ex Machina, I have to say that listening to their new album,
their textures are mind-blowing and going into different groundings.

While the other band members were doing different projects
and after the departure of keyboardist, Fabrizio Puglisi, the band wanted to
see where they wanted to go next. The recording of Devoto was done quickly as a result a long reflective procedure. It
also marked the return of Luigi Ricciardiello after a two-decade hiatus to
replace Puglisi.

Mauro Collina’s guitar still delivers the virtuosity and
experienced advanced work as Luigi’s keyboard brings the futuristic,
experimental, and jazz orientations, Devoto
is a challenging listen from start to finish. And the seven highlights on
the album, shows that they still got the energy and still have the captivating
results that is like a motorcycle that is ready to launch to make the jump to
hyper-speed.

Autore del Futoro
(Author of the Future) has this essence between Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti and Traffic featuring
Steve Winwood. There is a Funk-Soul-Jazz Rock crossover with the Blues for the
first 4 minutes and 24 seconds before the last 2-minutes for a split second
sees Bonetti carrying the torch of Jerry Goodman’s style of The Noonward Race.

Quattro Piccole Mani
(Four Small Hands) is Collina’s haunting Blues Acoustic gothic essence
between Ry Cooder and Jack Nitzsche. Sliding electric approach and layered
effects with a classical/folky twist, it feels as it was straight out of the
score sessions of the 1970 controversial cult film classic of Nicolas Roeg and
Donald Cammell’s Performance.

Devoto (Devoted)
is the opening title-track that starts the album off with a big bang. Featuring
Mid-tempo riffs that is motioned between Italian Prog bands such as Banco Del
Mutuo Sorccoso and Corte Dei Miracoli, Bonetti’s violin passages filled with
sparkling ignition as it swells through the structured different time
signatures. But it’s Multiverso (Multiverse)
that got me really under my wings.

Here, Deus Ex Machina are taking you as a listener into the
universe and the passages of time. It’s a nod to Rush’s early ‘80s sound
between Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures as if they were doing
their own twist of the continuation of YYZ
and the French Progressive Rock group, Atoll. Mauro himself, just had me on
the edge of an amazing roller-coaster ride as he channels the styles of Alex
Lifeson throughout the composition like a battering ram hitting the doors down
really good.

Distratto Da Me
(Distract By Me) starts of in a time signature of 3/4 in the style of waltz
for the first 2 minutes and 50 seconds with a three-piece horn section before
it changes with Vivacissimo beats thanks to the drum patterns of Claudio Trotta
as he goes into his styles of Billy Cobham and Bill Bruford before Luigi
himself goes to the synths and organ and delving into the essence of the late
great Jon Lord, Premiata Forneria Marconi, and ELP.

Figli (Sons) shows
how much Alberto Piras’ vocals are stronger, passionate, and at times operatic
in the reminiscent of Francesco Di Giacomo. He knows exactly where he wants
Deus Ex Machina to go into when he those cords in his voice and show the power
and glory he can take with him. The song itself is like a whirlpool of
amazement as Bonetti fires up his Violin engine to go into the speed with unbelievable
results.

Sotterfugio
(Subterfuge) is an instrumental passage. It features a mini-experimental
atmospheric improvisation on the keyboards and featuring strings to set this futuristic
tone that is like something out of an innovative dream. And while it’s short
for a minute, I wish they could have continued with more of the electronic
vibrations with this piece and carry a Tangerine Dream effect to see what is
going to happen next.

As I’ve mentioned earlier, I’m new to Deus Ex Machina’s
music. And for me, Devoto isn't just a superb album, but it is a remarkable and a stimulating release I have listened to from beginning to end. And the Cuneiform label have never disappointed me when it comes to both Progressive, Avant-Rock, and Jazz. And yet it gives forth with these inventive and
compelling arrangements that will make you dig deep into more of
the excellence that has come forth with Deus Ex Machina’s return.

Monday, June 13, 2016

Whenever Kavus Torabi has come up with interesting twists
and ideas from his work with Guapo, Knifeworld, Gong, and Karda Estra to name a
few, I always get a kick to see what he will think of next. This next adventure
for Kavus, is like a trip into the adventurous seas. That is Admirals Hard.

They are an underground folk ‘supergroup’ in which they
formed by Cornishman Andy Carne back 14 years ago while he was in a spell of
exile in London. He convinced fellow bandmates from the West Country of
bringing the songs he was singing when Andy himself was a kid. From the
Avant-Rock, Chamber, and Experimental groups/artists raging from North Sea
Radio Orchestra, Mediaeval Baebes, Stars in Battledress, and William D. Drake,
they put the electric instruments aside as they lend Carne a helping hand.

Their long-awaited debut album released this year is
entitled, Upon A Painted Ocean. Released
on Kavus’ label Believers Roast, it is a traditional folk musical singing for
Carne’s love of the genre. Andy Carne’s voice at times resembles the essence of
Richard Digance and Fairport Convention’s Dave Swarbick and Trevor Lucas. The
moment I’ve listened to this, I’ve really got a kick out of this and knowing
that Andy and his fellow crew are on a pirate ship singing these songs and
knowing that it’s time for the rum to drink and following the bouncing ball
when you hear these songs.

You can imagine both Andy and Kavus are the Captains of the
ship as the crew members including Daniel Chudley, James Larcombe, Richard
Larcombe, Sarah Measures, and Paul Westwood give the help and go on a journey
through their adventures and the songs that will make you smile and at times
get a kick out of the harmonium (pump organ). Not to mention a few centerpieces
that made me smile throughout the entire album.

A traditional dance for a good time, but once you add a
clapping rhythm along to the Jig approach for a Folk-Classical twist in the
styles of Johann Sebastian Bach featuring both the Harmonium, Accordion, and
Acoustic Guitars, it makes it enthusiastic with The Random Jig/I’ll Get Married In My Auld Claes.

With some of the acapella pieces thrown in there of the sea
shanties while the sailors singing while they were on the ships to accompany
the labors on boarded sailing ships with trading vessels, songs like Whip Jamboree/Let the Bulgine Run feature
the rhyming stimulating stanza lyrics with evocative rhythms followed by foot
tapping sections from the instruments.

Their take of Burl Ives’ Hullabaloo
Belay is a bright and enjoyment yet haunting take of the classic done in
the style of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera while getting into the Celtic Folk-Punk
attitude into a joyful mood of The Pogues’ cover of South Australia. But it’s Rounding
the Horn that really made my eyebrows lit up even more.

We have a spacious atmosphere of the song that clocks in at
7-minutes long, you can imagine the seven piece group after getting off the
ship from the cargo they carry with them, walking into an eerie situation where
this is nobody there as if you can imagine a pin drop in this Ghost Town they
are walking into. The stirring vocals set the tone as the accordion and
electric guitar itself carries the droning finale that gave me goosebumps
throughout the entire piece.

The band will be performing on July 23rd at the
Islington in London and the album’s release this coming Friday, it will give
Admiral’s Hard a lot of recognition since they were doing 10 years of
roof-raising performances in the pubs and clubs in London and in the South
West. Upon a Painted Ocean is a must
have and the 7-piece band and Andy Carne have done a spectacular job bringing
the sea shanties brought to life in this amazing form.

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Since we are in June, I decided to be a little bit, well let me put it this way, way too early on my top 10 so far of this year. It's been a good year in both Progressive, Avant-Garde, Jazz, and Metal for me. Very much like Christmas in June to be more precise So here it is:

Friday, June 10, 2016

Alex’s Hand formed back in October of 2011 in Seattle,
Washington by Bassist Kellen Mills and Drummer Nic Barnes. They moved to Berlin
and have toured in both Germany and France back in 2014. This year, they have
released their third album entitled, Künstler Scheiße which
translates to Artist’s Shit. Their
sound is a combination of the Avant-Rock, Free Jazz, Chamber Music, and of
course, Avant-Metal as if it’s in full circle.

Following in the footsteps of
Frank Zappa, Mr. Bungle, Charles Mingus, Igor Stravinsky, Gentle Giant, Diablo
Swing Orchestra, King Crimson, Bela Bartok, and the Rock In Opposition
movement, their music just took me by surprise the moment I’ve listened to Künstler Scheiße. This is a band that
deserves some recognition big time. They have built a following in both Germany
and France followed by the United States between California and Seattle.

With four enduring highlights
throughout the entire album, it’s quite clear that Alex’s Hand are soon going
to be one of my favorite bands to support and champion. Trained which a composition is done by Stephen Barnes, has these haunting
minor piano melodies that resemble the twist between Alban Berg and Zeuhl
masters, Magma. It is almost as if it was recorded during the sessions of their
debut album, Kobaia and a
continuation of the piece, Stoah.

Samba has this bizarre
cross between as if Zappa was conducting bands such as; Gentle Giant, il Balletto di Bronzo, The Mars
Volta and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. It starts off with a chaotic synth
introduction before the Latin groove with a psychedelic twist comes kicking the
door down with a hardcore battering ram before delving into a swinging melodic
jazz-rock line featuring soulful organ improvisations and then back into the
strange groove again with a fast punch.

The 8-minute Evans Lips starts with crescendo guitars and dives into the pool of
eerie ballads with reverb tenor sax’s and delay effects on the rhythm guitar.
It suddenly changes into the style of Mr. Bungle and Avant-Metal-Post-Rock
territories that will have you at the edge of your feet with mouth dropped on
wondering what just happened and get the excitement going.

Mars Travolta which
opens the album off, goes into a haywire effect of the Jazz-Rock waltz and then
into the overdrive effect of a Chamber RIO Crimson momentum and guitar and sax
flourishes going all over the directions that gives it the punching force. Not
to mention the sinister bass lines and creepy structures in the midsection that
gives the chilling factor a tour de force before it kicks back again.

The sax, guitar, and drums start
going back into the crescendo mode as if they are making the jump to light
speed for insane measures. It’s the music for the insane asylum. And believe
me, this will knock your socks off when you turn this up to maximum volume. I love this album. Not just
because it’s awesome, but the way they would make it sound like something
straight out of a Ren & Stimpy cartoon or one of John Kricfalusi’s shorts
from SPUMCO.

And while I’m new to Alex’s Hand,
this is a band that will make you leap out of your seat when they hit that
eruptive and explosive note with a gigantic blast. Künstler Scheiße is a stunner from start to finish with unexpected
twists. If you love Chamber Rock, Avant-Garde music, Mike Patton, and the Rock
In Opposition movement, then delve back into the pool again for the sounds of
Alex’s Hand.

Thursday, June 9, 2016

This year, it marks the 15th anniversary of the
label MoonJune Records by Leonardo “MoonJune” Pavkovic. Since its launch back in
the summer of 2001, the label itself has been releasing 79 albums so far. And
whenever I get a package in the mail from the MoonJune label, as I’ve mentioned
before in my blog reviews of the label, something magical has landed on my lap.
From Prog-Rock, Jazz Fusion, World Music, Avant-Rock, and Rock In Opposition,
the label is still growing strong.

I first became aware of the label back in late 2011 when I
bought the DVD Romantic Warriors: A Progressive Music Saga by filmmakers Jose Zegarra-Holder and Adele Schmidt from the Syn-Phonic Music website. And I was
blown away from the bands/artists such as Cheer-Accident, Phideaux, and D.F.A.
When I looked at the bands from the label such as The Wrong Object and along
D.F.A., I knew this was a label I had to check out. The name MoonJune came from
a Soft Machine track “Moon In June”
from the Third album released in
1970.

Leo knows his understanding about music very well. He has a
very good ear when it comes to the genres and supportive of the artists and bands
when I would plug the CD into my portable CD player. It’s been four years since
I’ve championed the label and I will keep on championing it until the day l
die. So to Leonardo Pavkovic, I want to wish you and MoonJune Records, a very
happy 15th anniversary and keep the wheels rolling.

And I would like to quote from one of my heroes and legends
from Marvel Comics, the great Stan “The Man” Lee as he would say both, “Excelsior!” and from Uncle Ben in the
Amazing Spider-Man, “With Great Power
Comes Great Responsibility.”

Whenever Bad Elephant Music releases some very good material
from the realms of The Rube Goldberg Machine, Mothertongue, and Trojan Horse to
name a few, I always knew something magical is happening for my ears. When it
was announced last year that Mike Kershaw signed up with the label, I knew
right from day one, I had to check out his music. Mike has released so far
three albums and two EP’s. And this year, his new album, What Lies Beneath marks his fourth.

Mike’s music is a combination of symphonic and atmospheric
progressive music as his compositions deal with the struggles of emotions and
melancholy structures as he wants the listener to follow him wherever he goes
into his arrangements. Not only that, but he brought along people such as
Joshua Leibowitz, Tom Slatter, Leo Koperdraat and Frank Uraniak of Fractal
Mirror, Clare Stephens, and Marco Vasquez to name a few to lend a helping hand
for Kershaw as they work as a team.

The production and mixing level is done by Leopold Blue-Sky
of Unto Us followed by the mastering of Daniel Bowles. And with a mind-blowing dystopian
atmosphere artwork done by Steven J. Catizone, I knew right away that this
album is worth exploring. And the four highlights on here, shows how Kershaw
brings the emotions to a standstill.

It begins with the galloping moog/keyboard, Leibowitz’s drum
work of space and time underneath the essence of David Bowie’s Low-era on Growing for the Gods. Featuring shining and exhilarating tracks
with Hackett and Lifeson-sque rhythm guitar sounds and then moving into the
styles between Rick Wakeman’s Journey to
the Centre of the Earth finale on the Moog.

It has a futuristic and experimental adventure to kick
things off. The dreamy and moody vibrations come in to fill the keyboards and
mellotron’s galore on a Floyd-like beginning to see The City Revealed while the ‘80s come in full swing of the Neo-Prog
genre and Roxy Music’s Avalon with acoustic
rhythmic sections followed by the psych vibration for those Two Eyes.

Leo brings in the acoustic and sliding guitar lines to send
the memories of flashbacks to remember the good times in these memories as Kershaw
nails those vocal lines to bring the flavors in together like a complete full
circle. Tom Slatter takes over on his guest appearance for a guide to a
spiritual journey of finding the inner selves despite the loss of right and wrong
on the ominous beauty, Wounds. He and
Slatter work well for an experimental acoustic sci-fi tale of a battered man of
what he has done, and not to give up.

This is my third time listening to What Lies Beneath. And while I’m new to the bandwagon of Mike’s
music, it’s one of the most emotional and heartfelt albums I’ve listened to. While
it is not just a “great” album, Kershaw himself has got a lot of potential and
amazement that has taken me to higher levels on where he will take me to next.
And what other surprises he has waiting to the next open doors of his arranging
and composition’s to other side of life.

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

As you probably know, Esoteric Recordings have reissued the
Move catalog. The band were the combination in my previous blogs of my champion
and my love about them with the sounds of; Psychedelic, Garage, Hard, Symphonic,
Glam, and Progressive Rock. We are going to look at the 2-CD reissue set of
their third album entitled, Looking On. Originally
released in December of 1970 on the Fly label and on Capitol in the States, the
band moved (no-pun attended) away from the psych-pop sounds and headed into a
heavier, glam, blues, and prog approach.

Jeff Lynne of The Idle Race joined up with The Move after
Carl Wayne’s departure. Both he and Roy were a perfect match, a perfect team,
and a perfect combination between the two of them. And one of those moments, it
would become one of the early beginnings of the Electric Light Orchestra (E.L.O).
The recording of the album took place between from May to September of that
year. When the album was released in the winter of that year, it didn’t do well
and tanked.

The label decided to move forward with Roy’s friend, the late
great Marc Bolan and his critical achievement with T. Rex. It was ahead of it’s
time and now with the Esoteric reissue of the overlooked and hidden treasure of
the band’s lost classic. But let’s get straight to the music. The arrival of
Lynne is a turning point. When you listen to the track, What, the composition is a sinister, ominous, and heavier opus from
the vocalizations between Wood and Lynne. You get the haunting guitar rhythm sections
that the two of them do.

From the riffs and heavier drum sounds, wah-wah effects, and
the melodic sounds are the ingredients that are on the composition. The
incarnation of E.L.O is evidential. From the sliding blues and string section
with a roaring ride into the burst of the ‘50s rock sounds from the piano on When Alice Comes Back to the Farm. And Turkish Tram Conductor Blues feels like
something straight out of the sessions of On
the Third Day.

You can hear the riffs that resemble the styles of Ma-Ma-Ma Belle with the ‘70s Glam killer
grooves that the rhythm and lead handle and punching sax solos followed by
acoustic guitar solo and roughened up and in your face vocals that Roy Wood
does that gives it the driven electrical output. The opening 7-minute and 50
second title track, sees the influences of Psych, Heavy, and Middle-eastern
flavors followed by a little bit of an homage to Zappa’s intro of What’s the Ugliest Part of your Body from
the piano sounds of the inspirational references.

Open Up Said the World
at the Door is one of their progressive. Jeff and Roy sharing vocals
followed by an electric sitar, crumhorn, and bits of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee and Rick Price’s
bass and guitars following along the midtempo groove before Bev’s intense drum
solo and Ravel-sque dramatic rhythm of the classical styles, is thunderous and
strong with the dooming guitar solo in between. Then it’s back into the Glam
saddle with the killer, Brontosaurus.

Originally released as a single and reaching number 7 in
April of that year, Roy is on top of his game. We have the heavier riffs,
boogie-woogie piano, acoustic rhythm, and the styles of Slade comes to mind
followed by a bluesy-slide guitar work with fast driven sections that will get
you back into the dance floor. The closer, Feel
Too Good, is Soul Classical Hard Rock at it’s best.

Featuring Jeff on the drums, roaring bass work, more of the
sliding guitar lines and featuring background vocals from PP Arnold and the
late Doris Troy. I love Rick’s bass lines on here. Rick and the piano work done
by Jeff himself, the two of them work very well as Lynne would trade off his
classical and ‘50s chops to capture the glory days of Rock and Roll.

The track
would later be in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1997 classic, Boogie Nights which was my introduction to the band’s music. Not to mention the humoristic hidden track of the doo-wop
operatic touch, The Duke of Ediburgh’s
Lettuce which closes the album off and shows that The Move had a great
sense of humor. The bonus tracks on here features two takes of the title track
and a rough mix of Turkish Tram Conductor’s
Blues. And a rare Mono US Radio promo release of Brontosaurus.

The essence of Bowie and Bolan grows stronger as Rick Price
takes over Lead Vocals on the B-side single of Brontosaurus, Lightnin’ Never Strikes Twice while the BBC sessions
recorded from March to July of 1970, gives more of what is to come. The slowed-down
and fuzz-tone rocked out version of The Beatles’ She’s A Woman done by Wood gives it almost a take of Birmingham’s
own Black Sabbath while the unearthed composition of Jeff Lynne’s Falling Forever, shows Jeff at his touch
of a break-up and coming back again song. It has the essence of his days with
The Idle Race thrown in.

There’s also interviews with Bev Bevan and along with Roy
Wood one of which was done by BBC DJ Brian Matthew and one by a radio
journalist on The Move’s direction into a classical and symphonic rock
approach. The 2-CD set contains a poster of the band’s third album which
includes rare articles about them along with a 20-page booklet containing liner
notes by Mark Paytress, photos and interviews with Bev Bevan, Rick Price, and
Roy in which he did an interview from Trouser Press and BBC’s Disco 2.

The band released one more album in which it was their
fourth entitled, Message from the Country
in 1971 and then The Move was no more. It was now the Electric Light
Orchestra as they released their debut album, No Answer. Roy would soon depart from the band after walking out
for the sessions for the band’s second follow-up due to the tension between him
and Lynne and the manager, Don Arden, who was Sharon Osbourne’s father.

Roy would later form his own band in the styles of the Beach
Boys, Big Band, and Glam Rock with Wizzard. He would also work with Renaissance’s Annie
Haslam with the release of her first solo album on the production side with Annie in Wonderland in 1977. Jeff would
later achieve success with the Electric Light Orchestra and as a producer with
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, George Harrison, and he would later be with The Travelling Wilburys, and his dream of working the Beatles on their 2-CD set Anthology's 1 & 2 on the tracks Free as a Bird and Real Love.

The Move never got the recognition they deserve. While they
were way ahead of their time, they created magic from the singles, albums, and
the psych, glam, and prog styles showed that they were powerful, energetic, and
raw. Looking On shows the adventures
of the sounds of the Progressive Rock genre and it still sounds heavier and in
your face 46 years later.

Saturday, June 4, 2016

This is a special treat here from Esoteric Recordings. In
1967, The Move were riding high with their successful hits including; Flowers in the Rain, Night of Fear, Fire
Brigade, Disturbance, and I Can Hear
the Grass Grow. The following year in 1968, they released their sole
self-titled debut album as Roy Wood’s songwriting was growing stronger and was
ahead of his time in the late ‘60s and would later be an early pioneer in the
Glam Rock scene of the ‘70s.

The concert recorded on February 27th at the
Marquee Club was staged and show the band at their finest. Listening to this,
you can close your eyes and being in the club and showing support for The Move
as they blare into a eruptive yet powerful set that shows the original 5-piece
in their garage-rock, proto-punk, and psychedelic-pop finest and would soon
give supporters including Cheap Trick and Mark E. Smith of The Fall to show
their stamp of approval of their inspiration of the band’s music.

But there was a problem in the recordings, the level of the
vocals were varied during their performance. So the four tracks were shelved
for technical situations at that time period. By this time, Ace Kefford who was
the original co-founder of The Move, left due to a breakdown, panic attacks,
and depression. And guitarist Trevor Burton took over on Bass guitar as the
band became a quartet. The second concert was recorded on May 5th of
that year and the five songs and released as a mini EP on June 21st
entitled, Something Else from The Move.

When the EP was released, it didn’t do well and failed to
make it to the UK charts. Cut to 2007, the original four-track recordings of
the Marquee performances were released on The
Move Anthology 1966-1972 box set eight years ago. So what we have here, is
the concert from the two shows at the Marquee Club that were carefully and
painstakingly restored as much as possible from the recordings.

The garage-punk attitude of tracks covering The Byrds' So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star, Jerry Lee Lewis’
It’ll Be Me, Love’s Stephanie Knows Who and Eddie Cochran’s Something Else, shows The Move really
nailing the proto-hard rock attitude with the psych twist. And it’s a killer
take of the classic numbers and I imagine Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols
listening to the Move’s take of Cochran’s take and going into honor both of the
band’s legacy.

Their homage to Ravel’s militant intro of the Bolero with
Roy, Trevor, and Ace handling the both the structure before Bev’s crescendo
drumming knows that it’s time to get the show starting with a big gigantic
cannon blast. The singles of Flowers in
the Rain and Fire Brigade are
always an amazing live take and listening to them in their performance at the
Marquee, it’s loud and in your face and I can imagine the audience singing to
the words and dancing to the beat of compositions.

Trevor’s bass is a thumping rocker as Roy’s rhythmic element
ascending guitar goes for an adventurous take of Jackie Wilson’s (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and
Higher and I love what they did on here. It has a Psych-Mod approach and a knockout
thanks to Bev’s killing drumming that is like a tornado waiting to hit. Carl
hits those soulful vocal arrangements of the song. Not to mention their haunting psychedelic take of Spooky Tooth's Sunshine Help Me which closes the show off.

The bonus tracks include the full five-track EP in its Mono
format and the 16-page booklet contains the history behind the band’s
performance and recording with liner notes by Mark Powell including photographs
and a Fan Club letter about the upcoming performance and to be a participant of
the live set, promos, posters, pictures of both the quintet and quartet, and
the band’s walking across the street in London. And the CD itself is done in the styles and homage to the Regal Zonophone label.

A must have worth checking out and listening and imaging being at The Move's Marquee performances to know that why they were overlooked and ahead of their time.

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

There’s an old joke, “What do you call someone who hangs
around with musicians? Answer: A singer.” It’s hard to understand and explain
why Pink Floyd’s groundbreaking 1973 classic Dark Side of the Moon is one of the most crowning achievements and
mind-blowing albums to give them a chance to be in the breakthrough and hit the
mainstream. There are some who divided lines in the sand who prefer the Syd
Barrett, Post-Barrett era (1968-1971), or the Roger Waters-era of Pink Floyd.

That and Boris Savoldelli’s take of the Floyd classic entitled, The Great Jazz Gig in the Sky released
on the MoonJune label this year sees a darker, musique-concrete, electronic,
chamber-avant-free jazz approach to the album. He along with Raffaele Casarano
and Marco Bardoscia, and helping hands from guitarist Dewa Budjana, background
sounds and manipulator WK569, and reciter Maurizio Nobili, take you into the
deeper, darker and futuristic dystopian take of the 1973 classic.

Recorded back in 2013 on February 16 and 17th at the Rumore Bianco Studio in Esine, Italy along with Dewa's guitar tracks recorded at the Temple Island Studios at Jakarta, Indonesia on December 27th of last year, the artwork and cover done by Bruno Zoppetti's project of his vision of The Great Jazz Gig in the Sky on his website (www.brunozoppetti.com),

And Bruno's art design in a chalk format, captures the essence of the album's famous artwork done by the late great Storm Thorgerson including the heartbeat levels and liner notes about the album done by historian, biographer, and Pink Floyd Collector, Nino Gatti of the Lunatics, which is the Floyd's Collector's Club in Italy (http://www.thelunatics.it/tlhome.htm).

Now while I’m not crazy about Boris Savoldelli’s music, but
what he brings here as I’ve mentioned earlier a different take of the band’s
classic. It may not be for the faint of heart, but for me, I’ve adore every bit
of it from start to finish. Take for example Us And Them, which features Dewa on Guitar, he takes a swirling
improvisation of Gilmour’s beauty and the essence of Frippertronics alongside
as the 14-minute take goes into a futuristic and electronic shrieking styles in
the midsection that resembles French Duo Air, Brian Eno’s Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks and NEU!

But Marco’s double bass brings a heavier and thumping
jazzier approach in which he would walk and the fuzzier sounds when he use his
fingers or the bow as followed by Raff’s sax blaring into the various sections that
have a moody atmosphere as vocal arrangements that Boris does through his
spoken-words and noises. On the last 3-minutes of Brain Damage, Raffaele’s improvisation sends the spooky and
surrealism on the sax’s and it the reverb effect comes in strong.

It has these dystopian vibrations of a world gone world with
lunacy and insanity. And while this is going on, both Raff and Boris’
arrangements set that eerie twilight zone vibe coming in right at you that is
calm and in your face. There at times that their take of the song reminiscent
of Robert Wyatt’s vocalizations and how he would use the reverb styles on the
microphones as he goes back and forth with it.

The ominous sounds of Breathe
between Marco’s fuzzing double bass is done in both the E minor and A major
section as he walks into a tightrope section in his instrument before the tempo
changes with percussion shakers, snapping fingers, blaring sax, and the
chamber-sque string section with a Free-Jazz take and the warmth and emotional
touch of Time. This is my fourth and
fifth time listening to The Great Jazz
Gig in the Sky.

I will admit, this is not an easy album to listen to, but it’s
a very interesting and mind-boggling take of the Floyd’s masterpiece.
Savoldelli along with Casarano and Bardoscia, did one hell of a job of bringing
a futuristic and avant-experimental jazzier take of the album. It may divide
lines in the sand whether they will like it or not, but for me it is an odd but
sentimental homage to the masters.

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About Me

I'm a blogger/freelance writer from Houston, TX who writes album reviews because I enjoy it. Even though, I'm not the best writer, there is no stop sign for me. I have a love of Progressive Rock music, Jazz Fusion, and Early Heavy Metal music from the '60s to the early '80s. I went to HCC (Houston Community College) for nine years and have completed my degree in Music in Performance: Jazz Studies. I've been writing Progressive Rock and Symphonic Metal reviews starting back in 2008 on my blogsite and it never gets old.